What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medford has the most people working from home (26.8%).

Waltham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.6%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Medford	Waltham
People
Population	59,354Lowest	64,902Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.9±1Highest 10% below MA	34.4±1Lowest 14% below MA
	Medford and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	13.6%±1.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Waltham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.8%±1.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Waltham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	57.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	19.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,540±$8kHighest 25% above MA	$120,216±$7kLowest 16% above MA
	Medford and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,500±$23kHighest 34% above MA	$748,700±$27kLowest 33% above MA
	Medford and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA	$2,268±$79Lowest 29% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,286Highest 5% above MA	$4,766Lowest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	44.7%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Waltham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest MA: 10%	9.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1961Highest 3 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	26.8%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	24.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Medford and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#203 of 282 in MA	#217 of 282 in MA
School district	Medford	Waltham
High school in town	Medford High	Waltham Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	10.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.